I REACTED with dismay to the observations of Lynne Hall-Bentley at Kirklees Primary Care Trust (PCT) in your feature The baby in the helmet (May 1), who says flat head syndrome is 'not harmful to babies and resolves itself as they grow.'
We have over 150 babies in treatment at present – all for flat head syndrome – as an orthotist at a specialist centre in Leeds and she is mistaken.
Parents are not reassured by the advice given. Advice that the condition will self correct is not f
ounded on any research or evidence and it is our experience that a head shape deformity will not improve significantly without some help.
We fully endorse the Back to Sleep advice as it has significantly reduced the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and we always advise parents to continue with this regime.
However, it is our opinion that this advice is deficient, as it does not also emphasise that infants should spend as little time on the backs of their heads as possible when awake and supervised.
We are also concerned that infants who have a torticollis (a tight muscle on one side of the neck) are not actively treated, but are left to resolve on their own. If both of these issues were taken seriously and addressed when they were first noticed, then the incidence and severity of head shape deformities would significantly reduce without needing to seek our service.
The advice that the condition will resolve and cranial remoulding helmets will serve if the child is slightly older, is also incorrect.
We frequently receive correspondence from parents who have taken this advice, but have not seen any improvement even up to the age of 18 years. These infants need to be treated well before 12 months of age, with 4 to 7 months being the ideal time. This is because we use growth to bring about correction and head growth is very active the younger the infant is.
The UK cranio-facial departments within hospitals generally do not treat, nor do they actively monitor, plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome). These are specialist departments which treat very severe and deforming illnesses, and referral to this type of service is not necessarily the best route for treatment of deformational plagiocephaly.
We will be contacting Lynne Hall-Bentley to discuss the issue.
STEVE MOTTRAM
Ossur Assessment Centre
LEEDS
* For response from Kirklees Primary Care Trust see next week's Letterbox.
